Newfound Life
by SeptemberMistAngel
Summary: "They've betrayed me. All have turned their backs on me. Those who were my fans now hate me. And it was all for that stupid trophy. I hate to admit, but McQueen was right. It IS just an empty cup." This is the story of Chick Hicks after the first movie. Cold-hearted. A dark past. He's turned his back on the world that turned their back on him. But perhaps one woman can change him.
1. Chapter 1

New story! :D

Cars belongs to Disney/Pixar animation studios.

* * *

Newfound Life- Chapter 1.

* * *

_Rain poured down as I watched out the window of the bar. I was one of the last people here besides the bartender. An empty glass sat on the table in front of me. A sigh escaped me, deep and heavy. What had happened to my life? _

_I had nothing to live for anymore. I felt cold and empty. Just a shell of the man I used to be. I spent most days behind closed window shutters because everyone hated me. I no longer received fan mail. It was all hate mail from those who used to be fans. I knew I'd let them down, and what I'd done was unforgivable. I lived in guilt and loneliness every day. Life no longer felt worth living. _

_I was alone. Everyone had turned their backs on me. Did I deserve it? Probably. I spent many sleepless nights thinking about my actions on that fateful day. At the point, I had no one in the world I could go to... My family was all gone... Except my mom. But I couldn't face her. I knew she'd be disappointed with me. And I was too ashamed to go back. _

_My older brother... I couldn't talk to him either. He was practically the reason my life was this miserable hell. _

_And my little sister... Upon thinking about her, tears sprang to my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. I hadn't meant for it to happen... It was an accident. She'd only been sixteen... Too young for death._

_And lastly, my father. He was cold in the grave by now, but that may have been for the better. _

_I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thoughts of my family. Needless to say, I didn't have a good relationship with any of them. I looked out the window, watching the pouring rain. Rain. Again. It seemed like I was always being followed by a dark cloud. Ever since... The crash. I knew it had been my fault. It had been on purpose. But it had also been an accident. It was both, if you thought about it in the correct light._

_I sighed. I hate to admit it, but McQueen was right. It WAS only an empty cup. _

_I stood up and walked outside to my car, not caring about the droplets soaking me. The drive home was quiet. The inside of my house was quiet. I lived in a quiet world. _

_But it wasn't peaceful quiet. It was torture._

_The quiet left me to my thoughts. All of them guilty stabs for what I'd done. I glanced over at the shelves on my living room wall. There, dust covered, was the... That accursed trophy. A hunk of metal worth nothing. Every day it glared down at me. I'd just HAD to have it didn't I? Just couldn't stand being in the shadow one more week. _

_Now I was in that shadow more than ever. If it wasn't for the horrible letters that made their way to my mailbox, I'd think everyone had forgotten me. _

_And some of the time, that was almost a welcome thought._

_Let them forget. Let them leave me alone. _

_I wouldn't care. _


	2. Chapter 2

Newfound Life: Chapter 2

* * *

_I sighed as I woke up to the sun shining in my eyes. Great. I glared up at the sun, squinting. 93 million miles away... Perfect aim every morning. _

_I shut the window blinds, half blind myself. Walking downstairs and into the kitchen, I got myself a cup of tea. That's strange, I know, but I never liked coffee. I still wanted caffeine however, so I drank tea. _

_I sat at the little kitchen table and looked around. I should've been living in a mansion. I used to be a millionaire from racing, but when I stopped winning, my sponsors had started paying less. That's another reason I'd been so desperate to get that Piston Cup win. Instead I got fined for causing the wreck. And then I'd gotten legal trouble, causing more fines. I used to live in a penthouse in Vegas. Now I lived in the small suburbs outside of San Francisco. _

_Sitting down at the table, I sighed. Then I got mad. 'Enough of this depressed crap', I scolded myself. _

_After getting dressed and finishing the tea, I washed and put away the cup, then walked out the door. _

* * *

_I went where I always went when I needed to think. The river. _

_I sat on the bank, the water bubbling below me, and the birds singing in the trees above me. My thoughts wandered. I pondered two things; What had my life come to, and how could I fix it? _

_These were the questions I often asked myself. And yet I could never find the answer. _

_"Hello." A bright and cheerful voice suddenly said, scaring the crap out of me I looked over to see a woman sitting a few feet away, shining brown eyes probing my thoughts, and a head full of frizzy, blonde hair blowing in the breeze. She looked to be about twenty-five. _

_"Hi." I said, losing myself to my thoughts again. _

_"Whatcha doin?" She asked._

_I glared slightly in her direction, then turned my eyes back to the gushing river. "Just thinking." _

_"What about?" She asked, moving closer. _

_I sighed. "Look, leave me alone, lady." _

_She moved closer and got right in my face. "You've lost your job... You're struggling to make ends meet... You're depressed... And you're trying to figure out what to do with your life." _

_I backed away. "Are you psychic or something?" _

_She laughed. "No, just a lucky guess." She chuckled. _

_I stood up. She was seriously freaking me out. "Well... See ya." I said, walking away. _

_"Wait!" She exclaimed, running up to me, grinning. "Don't you want to know my name?" _

_"Not really." I replied, walking faster. _

_She jumped in front of me, and I noticed she was strangely hyper for a twenty-something year old. "I'm Chrissy. What's your name?" She asked with a smile._

_I sighed. What is with this woman?! "It's Chick." I told her. _

_She opened her mouth to say something, but I held up my hand. "I know it's weird, I know there are a thousand jokes and puns you could say, but please, don't comment." _

_"Alright, cranky, I was just going to ask you if you knew the way to get to downtown from here." She said with a huff. _

_"You new here or something?" I asked, growing curious._

_"Yeah." She replied, smoothing out her long, white skirt which had gotten blown around in the breeze. _

_"It's a few miles from here." I told her. "Do you got a car?" _

_"No..." She replied. "I'm buying one today... At the dealership downtown." _

_I smirked. "Not one for planning ahead, huh?" _

_Her face colored. "I-I like walking... I just need to know how to get there." _

_I looked at her. "Girl, It is seven miles to the dealership. You won't be there till next Thursday." I told her as we reached the parking lot. I walked over to my car. Well, the least I could do was help her out. I turned back to her. "You want a ride?" _

_Chrissy hesitated. "Sure." She finally said, walking towards me, one hand clutching her purse. I winced. She probably had pepper spray in there or something. I'd been pepper sprayed once. Hopefully the process wouldn't be repeated today. _

_Chrissy got into the passenger seat, then smiled at me as I climbed in the other side. "Thanks..." She said. "I'm glad I don't have to walk all that way... Though I would've if I had to." _

_I backed out of the parking lot and began to drive downtown. "So... Chrissy..." I started. "You said you were new here? Where ya from?" _

_"Arizona..." She replied hesitantly. "Phoenix." _

_I nodded. "If it's not too personal to ask, why'd you move?" _

_Chrissy shrugged. "Eh, I needed a change of scenery." She studied me for a minute. "Can I ask you a question?" _

_"Uh.. Sure, I guess." I told her._

_"What's wrong?" _

_"What do you mean?" I asked, not sure exactly what she meant._

_"You look sad... Depressed even. Like you don't have anything to live for, and like everything is hopeless." _

_I glanced over at her. "You sure you're not physic?" I asked teasingly, then sighed. "It's a long, personal story, and I'd rather not share." _

_"Alright then." Chrissy replied. "I was just wondering." _

_I parked outside of the car dealership. "Well, here we are." I said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. _

_Chrissy smiled and placed her hand on mine. "Thanks for the ride." She said, then stepped out of the car. "See ya." She said, then shut the door and walked inside the dealership. _

_I began to drive home, thinking about all that had just happened. I looked at my hand... When Chrissy had set her hand on mine... There was no mistaking it. I'd felt something. A connection... Something I hadn't felt in a long time... _


End file.
